Articles - Page 131

Browse hundreds of articles, tips, and inspiring design collections. Find helpful design advice, or the perfect resource for your next project.

Design Trend: Photos That Come Alive

Graphics / 6 Dec 2016

Design Trend: Photos That Come Alive

A live photo. Cinemagraph. Moving pictures. Still motion. There are so many names for this trend in web design, identified by a hero image that seems to come alive in a subtle way.

It’s not quite a photo, but not quite a video either. The movement is often restricted to one action in the image to help grab user attention and draw them into the image. Regardless of what you call it, this trend is making an impact and popping up everywhere in web design, as shareable gifs and on social media.

Never Run Out of Images Again With StockUnlimited

Reviews / 5 Dec 2016

Never Run Out of Images Again With StockUnlimited

Worried about running out of stock image downloads before the month ends? You can eliminate that feeling forever with StockUnlimited.

StockUnlimited is a stock image service that allows subscribers to download an unlimited number of images and vectors each month. That’s what makes it different from many of the other stock image options available. Here’s a look at StockUnlimited and how you can use it for your design projects.

How Does a User See Design?

Layouts / 30 Nov 2016

How Does a User See Design?

There’s often a disconnect between the way a designer looks at a website or brochure or package and the way users see it. As a designer, you can appreciate trends and attention to typography and details in a way that the common user might not.

Users only know whether they understand something when they interact with it. The details of how that interaction happens or why it is pleasing are often lost. It’s a pretty harsh reality.

But there’s a nugget of wisdom in understanding that disconnect. If you think about what users are thinking, you will be a better designer. (Even if you don’t particularly like their thoughts on design.)

2016 Gift Guide for Designers and Creatives

Inspiration / 28 Nov 2016

2016 Gift Guide for Designers and Creatives

Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Holiday shopping! Where do you start? Sometimes finding the perfect – and perfectly unusual – gift for the designer in your life can be a challenge.

We’ve found 15 great gifts for designers or the design-minded so you can check shopping off your list early this season. Prices range from stocking stuffer items to a few more expensive gifts, but nothing on this list is too extravagant.

Thinking About Design Thinking: Is It Important?

Business / 23 Nov 2016

Thinking About Design Thinking: Is It Important?

Design thinking is the biggest buzzword in the design world since flat design. Everyone is talking about it… even non-designers. So what is design thinking? Is it important? Should you care?

Here’s the good news: design thinking is something that’s probably part of what you “just do” even if you didn’t have a name for it. Design thinking is another way to think about problem-solving. Let’s take a closer look, and delve into what it means, and why it can be useful!

How to Design for Long-Form Content

Layouts / 22 Nov 2016

How to Design for Long-Form Content

Forget what you think about user attention spans. Long-form content can be a valuable part of your design strategy (and doesn’t have to be a boring block of ongoing text). Users love a good story and long-form content is a great way to create an immersive and engaging experience.

To keep users interested – and scrolling – you have to design interactions that are visually pleasing and create a consistent experience from the first glimpse to the final act. Here are a few ways to design long-form content that meets those goals with a few examples that are anything but boring.

Design a Better Logo: 5 Key Concepts to Consider

Business / 16 Nov 2016

Design a Better Logo: 5 Key Concepts to Consider

Logo design is tough. There’s so much pressure to come up with a perfectly iconic symbol. It has to be original, fresh and interesting. And it’s probably going to be around for a while.

Before you break out in a cold sweat trying to develop the next Nike Swoosh, stop and breathe. While some of the most successful logos of all time did come with a little luck, most follow a few key concepts that you can apply to your thought process.

Take a minute, think it through and you can design a better logo using these five key concepts (with examples from the Design Shack gallery).

Depositphotos Takes the Guesswork Out of Stock Photography

Reviews / 14 Nov 2016

Depositphotos Takes the Guesswork Out of Stock Photography

One of the toughest things about working with stock images is actually going through the process to buy them. Not with Depositphotos.

Depositphotos, a stock image provider, has a new flexible plan with straightforward pricing and downloads. (Each download is counted by the image, not confusing credits.) Today we’re taking a look at how the new plan works, and why this might be a great solution for your stock photography needs!

Is Your Website Up to Speed? Bitcatcha Can Help

Reviews / 9 Nov 2016

Is Your Website Up to Speed? Bitcatcha Can Help

We talk a lot of about design, development and user interfaces and experience and how they contribute to a successful website. These are all givens for designers and developers. We know an interface that looks nice and is highly usable will be popular among users.

But did you know that something such as server speed is just as important? No matter how great your website looks, if it is slow to load, users will turn away. That’s why a tool like Bitcatcha is so important. The server speed checker can help you see if you have hidden issues that you need to address.

Content Strategy & Web Design: Connecting the Dots

Business / 7 Nov 2016

Content Strategy & Web Design: Connecting the Dots

What comes first? The chicken or the egg? The website or the content? Developing a cohesive content strategy during the web design process can present quite the conundrum.

Designers want content to start work on the design, while many copywriters want a preview of the visuals to develop content. So how do you come to a resolution? With a solid content strategy that involves the whole team.

5 Tips for Mixing Photos & Illustrations in a Single Design

Graphics / 2 Nov 2016

5 Tips for Mixing Photos & Illustrations in a Single Design

Ready to take a design risk? Try mixing photos and illustrations in the same design project. A hand drawn element can add whimsy and interest to a design that includes photography. Conversely, a photo can make a more lighthearted illustrated design seem more real or important.

This technique can be a little difficult to imagine until you see a few examples of how it can work beautifully. Today’s we’re looking at this trend and providing tips and examples to help you develop creative ways to come up with a design of your own.

20+ Corporate & Business HTML Templates

Inspiration / 1 Nov 2016

20+ Corporate & Business HTML Templates

How much are you willing to spend on developing a business website for your new company? $10,000? $5,000? What if we told you that you could get started for less than twenty dollars?

No, that’s not a typo. You can actually build a stunning corporate or a business website for less than $20 dollars. Will it be a completely custom design? No. But the solution for a budget-friendly starting point is simple: grab a HTML template! No need to hire expensive design agencies. No need to spend thousands of dollars on web developers. Simply grab an HTML template, edit the files to add your company information, and get your business website up and running in no time.

To help you find the perfect design for your business website, we handpicked a set of impressive HTML templates you could use to build a stunning website.